FAYETTE – The Peacock football team is in the midst of their spring season as they build towards their spring game on Saturday, Apr. 21. The 2018 schedule has been finalized for Upper Iowa, and the 11-game NSIC slate features five home dates highlighted by Homecoming on Oct. 13.

UIU will open their 2018 campaign at Harms-Eischeid Stadium in Fayette on Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. against Augustana University. The first road trip of the year will take place week two at Concordia University, St. Paul. The Peacocks will then return home for a date with Winona State University the following Saturday, Sept. 15 at 6 p.m., before heading back out on the road in week four at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minn. on Sept. 22.

Upper Iowa will then get into the NSIC North portion of their schedule, after a change was made by the league for 2018. The schedule now begins with four divisional opponents, before moving into four games with the opposite division. The final three games will resume in divisional play to round out the year. The motion was approved in the off-season prior to 2017, and is now being implemented for the 2018 season.

Weeks 4-8 begins with a home date with Minnesota State University Moorhead on Sept. 29 at Harms-Eischeid Stadium, with kickoff between the Peacocks and Dragons slated for 6 p.m. UIU will then make their longest road trip of the season to Minot, N.D. to begin October, and will meet Minot State University Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. Upper Iowa then returns home for Homecoming 2018 against Bemidji State University on Oct. 13, with kickoff scheduled for 2 p.m. The North division schedule wraps up Oct. 20 with a road contest in St. Cloud, Minn. against St. Cloud State University.

The Peacocks then wrap up their final three games against the NSIC South Division once again. Divisional play resumes Oct. 27 in Sioux Falls, S.D. against the University of Sioux Falls at 1 p.m. The final home game of 2018 will take place Nov. 3 against Wayne State College; kickoff for Senior Day is scheduled for 12 p.m. The season finale takes place in Mankato, Minn. against Minnesota State University on Nov. 10, with kickoff slated for 12 p.m.

Upper Iowa wrapped its 2017 campaign with another winning season, finishing 6-5 overall. The overall .500 record marks the fourth time in the last five seasons the program has accomplished the feat. The Peacocks, who only had five winning seasons prior to 2013 since 1966’s 8-2 campaign, wrapped up just their 38th winning season in their history. The last time the Peacocks posted three straight winning seasons was 1962-64, more than 50 years ago, until 2013-15.

Eight Peacocks were selected to represent Upper Iowa on All-NSIC Team in 2017. Two Peacocks earned a spot on the All-NSIC South Division first team, two on the second team and four more were named to the honorable mention list. The eight All-NSIC performers were split between offense, defense and special teams with an offensive lineman, a defensive lineman, a running back, a punter, a wide receiver, a quarterback and a pair of linebackers.

Senior Quintin Taylor (OL) and junior Jojo Simpson (DE) were named to the All-NSIC South Division first team, while junior Ryan Parmely (RB) and senior Nate Skare (P) earned a spot on the All-NSIC South Division second team. Seniors Jarred Edmonds (WR) and Keith Schwickerath (LB) joined junior Brent Lammers (QB) and sophomore Mitchel Siech (LB) on the All-NSIC honorable mention list. For Simpson and Skare, the honor was their second All-NSIC nod; Simpson claimed a spot on the 2016 All-NSIC South Division second team and Skare was a 2015 All-NSIC South Division second team selection.

UIU heads into the 2018 season with big holes to fill on both sides of the ball, as they said goodbye to 21 seniors, including Vizzini, Edmonds, Schwickerath, Thompson, Beuschel, Otoo, Roemer, Blake Bodenstein, Matthew Danielson, Tristan Beyer, Kris Ihde, Austin Vaughn, Nate Skare, Zach Ries, Gunner Mohs, Wayne Doerscher, Ross Westphal, Ryan Eiche, Quintin Taylor, and Isaac Freese. The team signed thirty-two commits on National Signing Day, and will continue to look for more talent as well. The future is bright for the Peacocks, under the direction of Tom Shea, who enters his 10th season in 2018 as the head man